Author's Notes:
So I know this is a really quick post, but I was looking at my schedule and found that I for whatever reason had a large amount of free time this weekend. I figured I may as well write some more since I may not have as much time in the future.
As always, reviews will be greatly appreciated.
Without further ado, here is chapter 6:
Interior of the Longfort
Robin awoke to the sound of people talking and eating. He sat up, and found the Shepherds and Feroxi soldiers eating together, and chatting happily. When they realized Robin had woken up, the Shepherds smiled and took turns greeting him with 'good morning's. Everyone except for Frederick, who was eyeing Robin with suspicion. 'I could've sworn that was where milady Lissa had been sleeping last night… come to think of it, she also woke up where I remember seeing Robin last night...'
Seeing him sit up, Lissa rushed over and sat down next to him. She handed him a large piece of bread and some water. "Thanks for reading to me last night." She said to him with a smile. "I know I probably fell asleep in the middle of it, but up until then I was really enjoying it. And…" she began to whisper at this point. "...thanks for letting me change places with you. I know it was really cold over here."
Robin smiled and happily accepted the food. He began to wolf it down. "It *munch munch* was no problem. I enjoyed "chew* reading to you as well. And the cold wasn't too bad." he managed between bites. He was not even a little bit bothered by some of the whispering that began amongst a few of the shepherds.
Once they had finished eating, the shepherds began to tear down and pack up everything that belonged to them. When they were finished, Raimi led them to the back entrance, the one that opens up to Regna Ferox, and began to lead them towards the capital.
Chrom took the lead, and the shepherds marched in rows of two along the dirt roads of Regna Ferox. The snow was beginning to melt, and birds were beginning to chirp, giving everyone, especially Robin, an extremely calming feeling.
As they marched, Frederick slowly made his way to Robin.
"Robin, might I have a word?" The Great Knight asked. "Sure, what's up Frederick?" came the reply. "Would you mind explaining why you woke up this morning on milady Lissa's bedroll?"
Robin didn't even flinch. He casually explained what had transpired the night before and earlier this morning, which made Frederick breath a sigh of relief. "I'm going to assume that you're telling the truth." The Great Knight began. "And in that case, I must thank you for taking care of milady. In truth, if she felt her bedroll to be too cold, it should've been I that switched places with her."
The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful. Some of the shepherds were chatting and laughing as they marched. The mood was overall extremely pleasant.
Eventually, they reached the capital. Once inside the main entrance of the palace, Raimi turned to the group. "Prince Chrom, please wait here while I go summon the khan." The prince nodded. "Of course."
Robin approached Chrom. "The khan isn't here?" he asked. Chrom chuckled. "Out training, I'd wager. The khans of Ferox prefer battle over politics-or rather-battle IS their politics." Robin nodded. "So a warrior ruler huh? Oh look, is...that the khan?" He pointed at a ebony female Hero approaching them with Raimi.
Chrom walked up to meet her. "You're the… er… the khan, I presume?" The female nodded. "Yes, one of them: the East-Khan. My name is Flavia. I apologize for the troubles at the border, prince Chrom. You are always welcome in Regna Ferox."
Chrom nodded. "Thank you. I'm confident we can put that misunderstanding behind us. Is it true that bandits are ransacking your border villages?" The khan nodded. "Yes. Those Plegian dogs! We found documents proving as such on the corpses of a few of their captains. Plegia must see some benefit to causing tensions to arise between our kingdoms."
"Damn them!" Chrom swore in anger, but quickly recomposed himself. "Forgive me, your Grace. That was… indelicately put." This only resulted in laughter from the khan. "Ha! Damn them and damn delicacy! Here in Ferox we appreciate plain speech. Yes, I like you already." She then turned serious. "I know why you've come, but regretfully I cannot provide any troops for Ylisse."
"What?" Lissa exclaimed. "Why not?" Flavia shrugged. "I lack the authority." Chrom frowned. "Forgive me, but I do not understand. Aren't you a khan?"
"As I've mentioned, I'm ONE of the khans." Flavia began. "In Ferox, the khans of the East and West hold a tournament every few years. The victor acquires total sovereignty over both kingdoms. And that means they have the final say when it comes to forging alliances. The West khan won the tourney last time, so my hands are tied." she explained.
Chrom sighed. "So are we to receive no aid at all?" Flavia shook her head. "Not if you give up so easily! The next tournament is nigh, you see, and I am in need of champions." Chrom frowned. "And what does that have to do with us?"
Flavia chuckled. "The captain of the border guard mentioned that you're quite capable. Perhaps you'll consider representing the East in the upcoming tournament? If you win and I become ruling khan, I will grant you your alliance." "I assumed Ylisseans have no place in Feroxi traditions." countered Chrom.
At this, Flavia began to laugh. "On the contrary, the khans themselves do not fight. They choose champions to represent them. Otherwise our land will be rife with blood feuds and dead khans! We don't involve comrades or kin for the very same reason. Over time, it's been decided that the tourney be fought by outsiders." She paused. "Although, I'm not sure it's ever been fought by foreign royalty. Either way, the choice is up to you."
"There is no choice." Chrom said with resolve. "My people are desperate. We face not only Plegia's constant attacks, but now the added threat of the Risen. If fighting for you is the quickest way to achieve an alliance, then we will gladly pick up our steel."
Flavia laughed again. "I do like you, Prince Chrom! I do hope you survive the tournament. Come, I will show you where it will be held. But be wary! I hear an equally competent swordsman champions the West Khan." Chrom nodded. "He will be defeated by Ylisse's necessity." Flavia grinned. "Well spoken, again. I'm looking forward to see if you're equally skilled with the blade."
With that, Flavia showed them the arena for the tournament. "The tourney will begin in three days." She explained. "In that time, you are free to live and train here in the capital. We will provide your company with food and a place to sleep."
Robin politely raised his hand. "Um, if you don't mind me asking, Your Grace, but what are the rules of the tourney?"
Flavia turned to him. "It's a skirmish between both sides." she explained. "Each participant is still considered to be in the competition until they either die, get knocked unconscious, or admit defeat."
"How many can we bring from each side?" Robin asked. Flavia laughed nervously. "See, that's the most difficult part. As the winners, the West gets to have nine fighters. The East only gets to have six." Robin frowned. "Interesting. So winning the tourney makes winning subsequent tournaments easier…" he then turned to Chrom. "I'll try to find some details on the opponents we'll be facing, and run some calculations on who the best six to bring are." Chrom nodded. "Thank you, Robin, I know I can count on you." This earned a nod of determination from the tactician.
True to his word, Robin asked around and managed to find out that the West Khan's current formation consists of four axe fighters, two mages, two armored knights, and of course, the mystery swordsman.
He toiled through the afternoon, going through possible strategies and scenarios, knowing full well that the security of Ylisse could depend on how the tourney goes. It was well into the evening before there was a knock on the door.
"Come in!" Robin called out. The door opened, and Chrom walked in. "Hey." The prince began. "It's dinner time. I know how hard you've been working all afternoon. It's important to remember to take care of yourself as well."
Robin smiled. "You're right. And it's a good time for a break right now too." He got up, and followed the prince to the Feroxi dining hall.
Once they arrived, Robin was taken aback by how noisy the place was. There must have been hundreds of Feroxi soldiers in there, all eating and noisily chatting with each other. The two each grabbed a plate and walked over to the kitchen to get served. Once they received their food, they began to head over to the table where the shepherds were all sitting.
When Lissa saw the two approach, she waved her arms around. "Hey guys! We're over here!" She exclaimed. The two smiled and sat down. Robin found himself sitting next to Sully. "So?" the cavalier asked as she bumped Robin's shoulder with her fist. "You've got a plan figured out?"
"Sully!" Chrom exclaimed. "He's been working all afternoon, give the man a break!" "Oh come on!" The redhead complained. "You can't blame me for wanting to know the plan. We haven't lost a single battle since Robin joined us."
"It's fine, really." Robin said as he put his fork in the air. "It helps me figure things out when I try to explain it out loud. The way I see it, the selection of the perfect six to include will be extremely important. I know for sure, we are going to take Chrom, Frederick and Vaike…" "Hell yeah!" the blonde axe fighter rudely interrupted. "Ol' Teach is on the starting lineup!" "Hey bozo!" Sully retorted. "Let the man finish! I'm trying to listen here!"
Robin chuckled. "Well as I was saying, Frederick was my very first choice because, and let's face it, he is our strongest fighter right now. Not only is his lance deadly, but he can't get hurt very easily because of his heavy armor. If needed, Frederick can probably take out the West Khan's mystery swordsman handily." He paused. "Next, I chose Chrom because of his agility and skill with a sword. The West Khan will have four axe fighters, so Chrom will be able to handle those with ease. My third choice… it wasn't easy, but I chose Vaike."
At this, the axeman in question raised his voice. "What's that supposed to m-" at this point, he was muffled by Sully angrily covering his mouth.
"Well, he also has two armored knights. Vaike will be able to defeat them rather easily due to his weapon advantage and the fact that he has a hammer." He turned to Vaike at this point. "Make sure you get some extra training in with that weapon tomorrow, we really need you to be in top form."
Vaike removed Sully's hand from covering his mouth and smiled. "You can count on the Vaike!"
"What about the other three?" Stahl inquired.
"Well, then it becomes a bit difficult." Robin took a bite of his food. "I think we will definitely not be taking Lissa, because we already have a three person disadvantage. I don't think it would be wise to opt into an essentially 5 versus 9." he paused to eat a bit more. "So I'm thinking we take Miriel and myself. Having some more magic damage increases our chances at taking down their melee soldiers from a distance, and it will definitely help us shred through the armored knights."
"For the sixth person, I'm thinking we bring Sumia." he continued. "M-me!?" the pegasus knight stammered. "B-but! Sully is so much stronger than me! Kellem has more armor than me! Stahl-"
Robin held up his hand. "It will make it advantageous for us because they don't have any archers. You could easily ferry Miriel around the arena, launching spells from midair. Not to mention, pegasus knights are fantastic for taking out mages." "O...ok, if you say so…" Sumia whispered.
"Uh oh!" Stahl began, with a grin on his face. "Sully is mad now because she didn't get chosen!" "Can it moron!" the female cavalier retorted. "As much as I would've liked to be down there fighting, I think I can enjoy a show as much as anyone else here. And besides, I trust Robin's decision making. It hasn't lead us wrong yet."
"So now that that's settled, the six that Robin has chosen should train extra hard tomorrow." Chrom said with resolve. "The fate of Ylisse can depend on our performances." "But…" Robin added. "Make sure to get a good night's rest both tonight and tomorrow."
"Phew!" Stahl said as he wiped his brow. "I guess I have the day off tomorrow! Maybe I'll do some sightseeing..." "Not so fast bozo!" Sully interrupted. "Ferox has some of the best training facilities on the continent, so I'm taking advantage of that. You're going to be my training partner tomorrow."
"But…" Stahl protested, but immediately became quiet after seeing the angry glare on Sully's face. "*Gulp* Yes, ma'am." he conceded. This resulted in laughter from the rest of the shepherds.
The following day, Chrom, Vaike, Robin, as well as Sully and a very unhappy Stahl started their training with Frederick's fanatical fitness hour. The hour seemed to pass extremely slowly as the Great Knight pushed the abilities of the bodies of the rest of them to the absolute limit. It didn't help that Stahl was complaining the entire time.
Afterwards, Sully dragged Stahl to a practice ring so they could practice fighting on horseback. Chrom took the opportunity to practice fighting against Vaike, which was an idea that Robin proposed since he would need to be able to defeat a few Feroxi axemen in the following day's duel. Once they were finished, Vaike practiced fighting Frederick, since his job was to be able to beat some armored knights.
Sumia opted to train by herself outside, practicing flying around on her pegasus and using a lance whilst mounted. Miriel on the other hand, went to a separate training room and practiced her tome proficiency with some target dummies.
The rest of the Shepherds took the day off. Of the remaining shepherds, Lissa was the one to take the most advantage of this fact. She went around talking to everyone, basking in the praise and attention she received for being a foreign princess. Virion, on the other hand, took some chances with some Feroxi women, only to get rejected time and time again. Kellam, on the other hand, did what Stahl had meant to do, and simply wandered around the countryside, admiring the beautiful spring scenery.
The day passed all too quickly for these shepherds, and soon it was nighttime. The shepherds all went to bed earlier than usual, in preparation for the following day.
In the Feroxi Arena…
Robin looked around the audience once they stepped into the arena. The stadium was packed full of Feroxi soldiers, all cheering at the tourney about to begin. He spotted Sully and some of the other Shepherds in the stands, cheering them on.
"Robin, look!" Chrom said in surprise as he pointed to the other end of the arena. He turned, and saw standing across from them the mysterious masked swordsman. "So that's who the West Khan's champion is…" he wondered aloud.
The announcer signaled for the beginning of the competition.
"Chrom! Draw out the axe fighter on the right! Frederick, do the same to the one on the left." Robin instructed. The two nodded and went to accomplish their assigned tasks.
As predicted, the two axe fighters charged at them. Chrom dodged the initial swing of his opponent and went in for two quick slashes across the chest. Miriel helped my launching over a fireball, knocking down their opponent. The fighter signaled that he was surrendering, and was pulled away by some of the Feroxi soldiers, serving as referees, for the infirmary.
On the other side, Frederick thrust the butt of his spear at the enemy fighter's chest, knocking the air out of him. He raised his lance tip at the fallen soldier's throat, and the Feroxi fighter signaled surrender.
The crowd, and especially the shepherds watching, cheered at two quick victories by the East Khan's champions. Six of the West Khan's champions simultaneously rushed Chrom and his group.
At the front were two mages, who could run faster because they didn't wear armor. One was knocked out by a swing of Frederick's lance to the head, leaving the mage bloody and unconscious. The second fared slightly better and engaged in a magic duel with Miriel. The two were concentrating and throwing magical spells at each other, which gave Vaike enough time to run in and uppercut the Feroxi, knocking him out of the fight.
By this time, the next two, a pair of Axe fighters had closed in. Chrom, once again, engaged the one on the right, and was able to easily win with the help of Miriel. On the left side, the fighter swung his axe at Sumia, but she flew just out of reach. Robin knocked the man down with a well placed thunderbolt, knocking the Feroxi over. He immediately signaled for surrender.
Finally, two of the slowest moving Feroxi, the armored knights, began to approach. At this point, the masked swordsman as began to run towards Chrom and company.
Vaike rushed to the knight on the left side and bashed his opponent with his hammer, leaving a serious dent in the armor, while simultaneously knocking the man down. With no way to get back up, the fallen Feroxi also pulled out of the fight.
The knight on the right rushed towards Miriel. Robin rushed in with his scythe and intercepted the knight's lunge. Sumia flew over and hit the knight's helmet repeatedly with her lance, but to seemingly no effect. Seeing them struggle against the knight, Frederick rushed over and tried to stab the Feroxi. However, the knight blocked it with his shield.
Robin sighed. "Miriel, your turn!" In response, a fireball flew towards them. It hit the knight across the armor, and the knight began to scream in pain. He desperately tried to get out of his suit of armor, and the match officials rushed over to escort him away to the infirmary.
This left just Chrom and the masked swordsman to fight in the center of the arena.
Even though the masked swordsman began to approach them much later, he got to them at around the same time as the armored knights due to his agility. As he approached, Chrom drew his Falchion. In response, the masked swordsman draws his own copy of the sword.
Chrom gasped in surprise. "Where did you get that? There's no way…"
As he got closer, the two finally began to exchange blows. What was baffling to Chrom about the swordsman's fighting style was that it seemed to mirror his own. Except, where the weakness in Chrom's fighting was made up for by strength, the masked swordsman had speed. After a couple minutes of fierce exchanges, the two pulled back for a moment to catch a breath.
Frederick began to move in, but Robin stopped him. "We've already won." The tactician explained. "Chrom would probably not be very happy if we interrupted the one versus one that he seems to be so invested in. If Chrom loses, then we can all dogpile in." Frederick nodded, and put away his lance momentarily.
"Tell me," Chrom asked the swordsman. "Who taught you to fight like that?"
The swordsman gritted his teeth. "My father!" he exclaimed. However, Robin swore he heard a slight tremble in his voice.
"Who is your father?" Chrom continued to interrogate him. The swordsman shook his head. "I've already said enough for one day, sir." Chrom nodded. "Very well. You saved my sister's life, and for that I thank you. However, inside these walls I represent the East Khan, and I will not lose!"
With that, he ran at the swordsman once more. They met blow for blow, and continued to slash and swing, block and retaliate for several more minutes. Robin could see beads of sweat rolling down the face of Frederick.
Upon closer inspection, Robin also noticed that the masked swordsman didn't seem to be fighting to win. He was mostly on the defensive, and never lashed out at the openings that Chrom had. With his skill at disposing of the Risen, there was no doubt in Robin's mind that this was intentional. It was almost as if he had no intention of ever beating Chrom.
Eventually, Chrom noticed a opening (which, unbeknownst to him) was purposely left for him by the swordsman. He swept his foot around, knocking the swordsman off his feet. He pointed his Falchion to the fallen swordsmans neck. "Surrender, you have lost."
The masked swordsman obliged. With that, the stadium began to roar with cheers. Robin could hear Lissa and Sully's cheering above the rest of the crowd, and the six participants of the shepherds all had grins on their faces.
"I-impressive… if not… surprising" the masked swordsman muttered before slinking away, without anyone noticing.
Flavia came down to congratulate them personally. "Well fought! You have my respect, and more to the point, you have your alliance. I will provide Ylisse with the troops that she needs."
Chrom smiled. "Truly? Thanks, East Khan." Flavia laughed. "Haha! It's been ages since I have held full power. Come, my new friends! Tonight we celebrate!"
As Flavia leaves, a tall, muscular dark-skinned man enters the arena, shaking his head. "Bah! Any excuses for a party and Flavia jumps on it…"
Chrom turns to the newcomer. "I'm… sorry? Have we met?" "I'm the West Khan you so rudely removed from power!" came the reply. "You're handy with a sword, boy. I thought for sure that I picked the stronger man."
"You mean Marth? What do you know about him?" Chrom inquired. Basilio scoffed. "Bah! He's just some sellsword with delusions of grandeur. All I know is that he turned up one eve and knocked my old champion flat." he grinned. "It was love at first sight, and I'm generally too old for such things! Baha! Anyways, he's gone now. Up and fled as soon as the tournament ended."
"He's so dark and mysterious!" Lissa murmured dreamily. *Sigh*
Robin chuckled. "Looks like Marth has got at least one fan!" "Well, I mean, c'mon…" Lissa tried to defend herself. "He IS sorta dreamy, isn't he?" "And YOU'RE sort of dreaming!" Chrom retorted in anger.
Lissa pretended like she was hurt. "Yowch! C'mon Chrom, I'm just kidding!"
"Milord, milady?" Frederick interrupted." If this fascinating discussion is over, we'd better start heading back to Ylisse. The exalt will want to hear the news of this new alliance immediately." Chrom nodded. "Right as always, Frederick."
"Hold, boy." It was the West Khan's turn to interrupt now. "Before you go, I have a present for you." As he says this, a myrmidon with dark brown hair enters. "This is Lon'qu, my former champion. Not much for talking, mind you, but he's peerless with a sword. I honestly can't figure out how Marth was able to best him so easily."
"Marth beat him?" Lissa wondered out loud as she took a step closer to him. "But he looks so big and strong!" Lon'qu, noticing this, took a step back and reached for his killing edge. "Away, woman!" Lissa pouted. "Hey! What did I say?"
Basilio only laughed. "Let's just say that the ladies put Lon'qu on edge. Nonetheless, he is capable. In another life, he could perhaps be a khan. Consider him West Ferox's contribution to the Ylissean cause."
"You're certain about this?" Chrom asked. The khan nodded. "Yes. He's your man now."
"And Lon'qu? You have no objections?" the man in question scoffed. "He gives orders, I stab people. I think our roles are clear." Chrom smiled. "Well OK, welcome aboard then."
"Milord, I hate to interrupt again, but we really should pack our belongings and head back to the capital now." Frederick said again, earning a laugh from the prince. "Right as always, Frederick. Right as always."
"Hmm, since it's almost afternoon, maybe it would be wise to camp again at the Longfort?" suggested Robin. "Good idea," Chrom replied. "Would that be OK, West Khan?"
The man in question laughed. "I don't believe I have the authority to give you permission anymore, boy. Besides, that fort is on Easter Feroxi territory anyways. You'd best ask Flavia for that, although I can already guess her response."
Chrom smiled. "Alright, I'll make sure to go talk about it with her before we leave."
With that, the shepherds all made their way to their sleeping quarters, ready to pack up their belongings and head back home.
Undisclosed location, somewhere near the arena…
Marth stopped running when he was sure no one saw where he ran. He stopped under the shade of a tree and pulled out a canteen of water.
"Oh Naga, it was him again… It's bad enough that … Chrom… is here, but why does he have to be too?" he murmured quietly. A few stray tears began to fall from his face. "Why? Why does this mission have to be so… difficult?" he complained to himself and took a sip of water. He wiped his lips off with the back of his hand. "Even though it's so painful, I need to exercise some self control." he concluded to himself. "Otherwise, everyone would have died in vain…"
He let tears fall freely for a few minutes before shaking his head to clear his thoughts. The swordsman got up and began to go back on the move again…
Some time in the distant future….
"Daddy! Daddy?" a little bluenette girl screamed as she ran through the halls of the Ylissean royal palace. She turned the corner and ran face first into a much older version of Robin.
"Oof!" she exclaimed. "Daddy?" she looked up expectantly.
Robin laughed. "Sorry, I'm not him."
"Oh hello mister Robin." the little girl said. "Do you know where my daddy is?"
Robin thought for a moment. "Last time I saw him, he was getting his horse ready. I think he said he'll be traveling to Zhanbridge for a few days. They recently experienced a major earthquake and he's going to go help them recover."
The little girl's face fell. "But he promised to play with me today!" she pouted. "Will he be back tonight?" she finally asked.
Robin grimaced. "Sorry Lucy, but it takes a day and a half to even reach there. He might not be back for another week."
At this, little Lucina's eyes began to tear up. "Waaaaah!" she began to cry. "Daddy never plays with me! I always have to go play by myself! I don't want to play by myself anymore….." She continued to cry, attempting unsuccessfully to dry her tears with her sleeves.
"Playing by yourself must be pretty boring, right?" Robin asked the little girl. "*sob* Yes! Playing… *sniff* by myself is not fun… I want to play with daddy!"
Robin sighed. "Well, I'm not your daddy, but if you want me to, I'll be happy to play with you." he offered. The little girl continued sniffling. 'But… but I want to play with daddy! Why does he not play with me?"
"Your father is a really busy and really important man." Robin explained. "He works very hard." "I don't want him to be busy!" Lucina sobbed. "I just want to *sniff* play with him!"
Robin let out another exasperated sigh. "Well, I'm certainly not your father, but if I give you a gift, would you be willing to play with me?" "G-gift?" the little girl asked with curiosity.
He took his arms out from behind his back, revealing a wooden dagger that looked like a miniature Falchion he had been hiding. "This is for you. I carved it for you myself." he grinned, holding the toy weapon out to her.
"Omigosh!" the little princess exclaimed. "This is just like daddy's sword!" she gave the toy a few test swings, disregarding her surroundings. Luckily, Robin moved out of the way quick enough.
"Yaaaah! Haha! This is so much fun!" The princess exclaimed in joy as she continued to imitate the motions she'd seen her father make.
"Do you like it?" the tactician asked Lucina. "I love it!" she beamed. "This is the bestest gift ever!" At this point, her earlier disappointment had been completely forgotten. She ran and hugged Robin around the legs. "Thank you thank you thank you thank you mister Robin!" she giggled.
"Well?" Robin asked. "How about we go find an open area so you can test out your new toy?"
"Yeah!" the princess exclaimed, beaming some more. "I'm just like daddy now! I'm just like daddy now!"
Robin picked up the girl and put her on his shoulders. "Heehee! I'm just like daddy, riding a big horsie! Run mister Robin, run!" she exclaimed in joy. "Alright! Let's go find an open area, maybe the courtyard outside… What do you want to play?" the princess giggled some more. "I wanna play knight and dragons again! Except now I have a real weapon now!" It was Robin's turn to laugh. "Yes, a real fearsome weapon indeed!" "Uh-huh!" The princess replied, not knowing what 'fearsome' meant.
They played together the entire rest of the afternoon. Lucina had so much fun that she completely forgot about her father left in the first place.
Lon'qu: Class: Myrmidon
Age: 18